1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to expanding the angular clamping capability of the common vise.
2. Prior Art
The common vise that is in use in most garages by home handymen and in professional use has a limitation of only being able to hold or clamp an item or tool horizontally only as wide as the jaw opening.
The only way, at this time to accomplish holding a tool or item horizontally wider than the jaws permit is to use either a very expensive machinist type of vise, which is intended for the most part, for machine shop use or using another tool or vise with the existing common vise. Also this would mean having to buy another very expensive vise and not utilizing your existing common vise.
Thus the referred to expensive vises are limited in their mounting points and are not easily mountable with the average bench or tool box where they would be typically used. Additionally the size and weight of the machine shop type vises are large, heavy and cumbersome.
The complexities of the machinist type vises are far more than the average person using it would require, such as the precision machining, the degree indicators and weight. This also increases the cost of production considerably.
There are current vises such as U.S. Pat. No. 1,507,815 to M. S. Cumner that will let the vise tilt, angle and rotate, but the complexity, cost and size are very great. Not having a variety of bolt mounting patterns precludes a limitation of mounting patterns. Another major difference is that Cumner's vice has the tilt linkages as part of the actual vise itself adding the expense of having to purchase the complete vise. Additionally the link mechanism to allow and lock into position extends beyond the mechanism and intrudes into the work space thereby again limiting working angles and interfering with its use. The number of parts to assemble this device is at least 90.
Another somewhat similar device is U.S. Pat. No. 2,353,891 to A. J. GRUNTORAD is again a very complex, expensive and bulky device. As with Cumner's, the links are also an integral part of the vise itself. Additionally it also suffers from the link mechanism extending outside the device. The number of parts to assemble this device is at least 80. As with Cumner's vice, it is also limited to the bolt pattern as to what it can be mounted to.
All of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 851,491 (1907), 1,392,130 (1921), 1,579,582 (1923), 1,665,170 (1927), 1,818,501 (1927), 2,207,881 (1938), 3,495,795 (1970) and 4,378,107 (1983) all are either complex, expensive to manufacture, bulky or are limited as to their mounting capabilities. All of the vises heretofore suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) the cost of manufacture is very expensive due to the highly precision machined parts;
(b) the complexity of the numerous parts makes it labor intensive to assemble adding to the cost of manufacture;
(c) the amount of material used to manufacture the vise adds to the price;
(d) the number of parts required to achieve the desired results adds to the cost of the manufacture;
(e) they are not converted easily from one size or type of vise to another;
(f) the links extend beyond the device itself interfering with the available work space;
(g) the complexity requires 80 or 90 parts; and
(h) the mounting surface must have specific mounting holes and position of same to utilize all of the angular positions.